E komo mai (Welcome)

It all began with a desire to make a difference on the campus of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UHH). In 2004, two students by the name of Achena Finik and Kathreen Roby started "talking up" in class about the lack of Micronesian writers in Pacific literary anthologies. That got a certain professor in English—Seri Luangphinith—thinking and plotting and scheming. Before long, she took up a plan with Mona Livsey, the director of the Student Activities Council. Together, they approached the HawCC/UHH Board of Student Publications for a major grant to fund an anthology of creative writing, an anthology that would also feature aspiring writers from another Pacific institution, the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji.

This project entailed a series of 9 polycom video-links between UHH's English 399 and USP's LL 331. These classes then independently pursued creative endeavors. The students of 399 undertook the study of different poetic forms and techniques from all parts of the world (including Asia and the Pacific) then went off to try their own hand at rhythms and metaphors and verse; they also had a blast working with professional writers from Hawai‘i and Micronesia. LL 331's students undertook mentorships with the renowned artists of the Oceania Centre for Arts and Culture [PDF]; the interviews that took place became the basis for impressive poetry and short-story writing.

All of this writing has found its way into this book, which will stand as a lasting testament to the power of trans-Pacific interaction. For this reason, the publishing venue, Ka Noio ‘A‘e ‘Ale, was named in reference to a famous Hawaiian proverb: "He noio ‘a‘e ‘ale no ke kai loa; a noio that treads over the billows of the distant sea." Just as the ancient navigators charted their way between the small islands out in the vast Pacific (by following birds like the noio), so too have the writers of this book ventured into uncharted territory to arrive at the first joint effort between two Pacific institutions. And the voyage doesn’t stop there. Seri and Mona are already stirring up the waters again for a new anthology that will feature primarily Hawai‘i writers and images/themes from the Big Island…